Microsoft is pretty confident about how Windows Phone 7 will perform in the marketplace

Well, we can say that the folks from Redmond definitely have a morbid sense of humor. In celebration of the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft held a mock funeral for two of the stars of the smartphone community: the Apple iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry.

According to Neowin, there were hearses for both the iPhone and the BlackBerry along with Microsoft employees dressed up in Windows Phone 7 garb. Microsoft even went so far as to have employees performing the infamous "Thriller Dance" to celebrate the hope that Windows Phone 7 will bury the competition.

Interestingly enough, while Microsoft definitely had Apple and RIM in its crosshairs today, “dead” Google was nowhere to be found. There were no hearses for the Android OS, so either Microsoft just overlooked this "minor" detail, or it doesn't think that it has the muscle to bury Android so quickly.

It was being sold on all four wireless networks. That gave it the ability to rapidly evolve (remember, 12 months ago there was no Android selection) and fill a serious desire in the wireless device market.

That opening no longer exists. The Android platform has taken all of Microsoft's wireless device business and there isn't any reason for them to want to go back. The Android device choices are very broad now, and will only get more open. Android's killer app was being anything an iPhone could be, and more. What can WinPhone7 do that the market is aching for?